Identification techniques are well known in the art. For example, an IC can be fabricated with fused links or a programmable read only memory (ROM), that are programmed after the IC is manufactured, to thereby imbed a serial number in the IC. However, the serial number is easily readable in such prior art devices and moreover it is relatively easy to replicate the IC with the same imbedded serial number.
Fingerprinting is different. Fingerprints can be read, but they cannot (or virtually cannot) be replicated. The present invention relates to fingerprinting an IC, for example, so that it can be uniquely identified compared to other ICs made at the same time even using common masks and/or semiconductor dies.
The present invention can be used to fingerprint even non-integrated circuits or circuits employing a plurality of ICs arranged in a desired configuration.